Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison

The Basics

Book Info: Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison.  This is Elder’s first work, written with the encouragement of his brother, Augusten Burroughs.

Genre: Memoir

Overview: As a child, Robison was always the odd kid out, the misfit, branded as a troublemaker.  In reality, his mind just worked differently than others, and he didn’t understand the complex social cues that come naturally to most people.  He was 40 years old before he was diagnosed with Asperger’s.  This memoir is his story of how he adapted to the world around him, and succeeded.

Jumping In

Importance of the Title: While growing up, the adults around Robison would constantly tell him to look them in the eye.  He just couldn’t get the hang of focusing on a person while talking, and people would think he was being disrespectful, when in reality, this was just his way.

Style: This is a first person memoir, and chronologically follows Robison’s life from the time he was very young until now.  It’s insightful and logical, and Robison shows great self-awareness.  One gets the feeling that he’s writing exactly as he talks, something I always admire in an author.

Themes: There’s a central theme running through this memoir, and Robison talks about it at great length.  Throughout his life, if he set his mind to something, he did it.  He didn’t always know why he was capable of building great things or doing amazing things, but he thought he could, so he did.  This resulted in touring with bands like KISS, and climbing the corporate ladder.  Later, it resulted in him owning a business.  It’s really inspiring to see someone overcome hurdles in life, especially when the ouside world can’t possibly understand them.  I was sad that in his early years he didn’t have the self-confidence to continue pursuing what he loved because it made him so nervous.  Who knows what he could have ended up doing on that path.  In the end, he made the decision that was right for him, showing us that everyone has their own paths in life, and it’s best to take the one that leads to the most chance of happiness.

My Notes

I received this in the mail yesterday afternoon from my book blogger Secret Santa: Lauren at ShootingStarsMag.blogspot.com.  It was a sweet and thoughtful gift since it was on my Bookmooch wishlist, and I really appreciate it.  If you’re not familiar with the site, I encourage you to check it out.  It’s a lot of fun!

Anyway, I sat down to read it right away and finished late this morning.  It’s an interesting read, and the story is amazing.  While some of the same people as his brother’s book Running With Scissors are mentioned, their stories are not the same. Robison, while abused as a child like Burroughs, has led a much different life than him due to being quite a bit older and having left home a lot earlier.  Both memoirs stand on their own, and sometimes they merge.

I was also glad to get some further insight into the world of Autism and Asperger’s.  I feel like everyone needs to read this memoir to spread awareness.  1 in 150 children is diagnosed with Autism, and as a Mom, I find that statistic frightening.  I know that in the future I’ll be supporting research into these syndromes, and also raising my son to show compassion to all the people around him, no matter how eccentric they may seem.